Published 11:49 am, Saturday, March 23, 2013

The Plainview Police Department continued to see a downward slide in crime as well as several other reporting areas during 2012; however, the agency did record a few increases in some areas.

According to the agency’s annual report for 2012, local police officers received more than 20,000 calls for service, up from 14,000 in 2011

Chief William Mull said the 36 percent increase is due to a change in software in November 2011. Mull said now, if a traffic stop is performed, it is automatically logged as a call for service.

Calls for service were not the only statistic to indicate a significant change. The total time expended on calls was down by about 51 percent. The average time spent on each call in 2011 was 27 minutes, with the time declining to 12 minutes in 2012.

Mull attributes this change likely to the new software, and the way times are calculated by the new software program.

According to Mull, another possible factor is that routine traffic stops are now included in calls for service. Most traffic stops are short in duration, and tend to bring down the average time-per-call and response time.

One final factor, Mull said, possibly could be a reflection of patrol officers working fewer accidents which occur in parking lots.

Officers are now routinely giving drivers self-reporting “blue forms,” which free the officers and mean they spend less time at the scene.

The traffic accidents in Plainview also saw a decrease, with 467 accidents in 2012, down 57 from 2011 and 200 from 2010.

Injuries at traffic collisions are down as well — 109 injuries in 2012 compared to 162 in 2011.

One area that saw in increase was the number of fatalities.

There were three fatalities in 2012 while there were none in 2011. The department investigated four fatalities in 2010.

Citations were another area that saw a decrease, with 2,085 citations issued in 2012, compared with 2,338 in 2011 and more than 3,300 in 2010.

The number of adult arrests increased from 1,238 in 2011 to 1,291 last year. There were 90 more arrests made in 2010 than 2012. While adult arrests steadily increased, juvenile arrests decreased by four. There were 89 juveniles arrested in 2011, but only 85 in 2012.

The number of municipal warrants served increased by three, from 688 to 691. There were 217 fewer warrants served in 2012 than in 2010.

Part One crimes, which include homicide, sexual assault, robbery, burglary, auto theft and theft, decreased from 985 to 920. This includes one murder in 2012 and 17 sexual assaults, which increased from nine in 2011. The number of robberies remained steady at 11. Aggravated assaults decreased 12, from 46 to 34.

With Part One crimes, Plainview police had a 39 percent clearance rate, down from a 54 percent clearance rate in 2011. Overall, the Criminal Investigation Division had an 86 percent clearance, up 2 percent from 2011.

The number of thefts, motor vehicle thefts and arson decreased across the board, with 614 thefts, 14 motor vehicle thefts and one arson case. Arson is investigated by the Plainview Fire Department.

Burglaries of buildings and residences declined by 10 overall, but burglaries of buildings increased by three while burglaries of residences declined by 14. There were 13 fewer burglaries in 2012 than 2010.

Part Two crimes, including forgery, simple assault, criminal mischief, liquor violations and narcotics, decreased by 88.

On Part Two crimes, the department’s clearance rate of 74 percent showed a 3 percent decline from 2011, which was 77 percent. CID’s clearance rate also decreased by 3 percent, from 96 percent to 93 percent.

The case load for CID decreased by more than 800 in 2012, with thedetectives working 1,079 cases.